You're in a CRM career. How do you keep your work-life balance in check?

In my opinion 2 factors are the most important items which we can consider. First of all, the power of planning. Planning can help us to have time management, resource management and budget management. In all aspects, if we have the skill of planning, we can use our time and resources and budget in a good way. I have a handbooklet calendar, I write my year goals in first page, then quarter goals in first page of each quarter and then month goals. Then plan for each day and write all life and work tasks or appointment and ... in it. At the end of each month and quarter and year, I measure my goals and targets and release the painpoints and try to solve them. The second is, volition. It help us to do not give up and persist in our goals.

????Boundaries are important to ensure we have sufficient space and rest. Carve out quiet time during the day, separate your work phone from your personal phone so that your rest days are well-deserved. ?? "Take care of ourselves, and the rest will take care of themselves" Mar Vin, Foo ??

Time management is one of the greatest soft skills in my opinion. Currently, networks and the reach of the Internet do not make us lose focus on what is important in our daily lives. My method is to use a short but exhaustive list of things that I must do or do during the day to meet the overall objectives.

Setting boundaries is key, and having a firm end to your workday is crucial. Establish Your Work Hours: Make it clear when your workday starts and ends. This not only helps in keeping work from spilling into personal time but also ensures a more balanced life. Say No to After-Hour Tasks: Once your work hours are over, resist the temptation to dive into work-related stuff. It's about giving yourself that time to unwind, recharge, and enjoy personal activities without work lingering in the background.

Before learning anything learn how to properly allocate your time strategically. Learn how to distinguish between IMPORTANT and URGENT.

I won’t say “always plan ahead” it will be in a task altogether but you should know what you have to do next. Take things into priority as you have decided not as been told to you. This is the most difficult part of planing and once you crack this you are on the top.

Planning is the basis for any set objective, improvisation makes us waste time! plan your year, month, week and days! Save time and gain productivity by planning.

I would rather say prioritise the work. You may prioritise based on the importance of work. Important task needs to be done at priority as this would help us in managing work in a better manner.

Having a plan helps to set priorities correctly. It is even more important to remain flexible in case there are last-minute changes and you have to deviate from the plan. After these interruptions, you can return to the original plan or adapt it to the new circumstances. It is a continuous alternation of planning and adaptation.

Planning ahead for me looks like this...at the end of the day, I review the calls I made/received and schedule/prioritize what to attend to the next day. I can prioritize customers based on urgency to solve an issue, if they have an audit coming up so they need a prompt walkthrough, or if there's immediate need for one of the solutions in my portfolio. Anything else that isn't urgent is either left for later on in the day or the following day. Since I'm in field sales too, I plan my route, check for updates on road constructions/closures and decide on alternative actions.

As a CRM professional, it is important to find a way to balance your work life and your personal life. This can be challenging, as CRM careers can be demanding and require a lot of time and attention. However, it is important to find a way to take breaks throughout the day to avoid burnout. Set aside time for breaks in your schedule. Block off time in your calendar for breaks, just like you would for any other appointment. This will help you to remember to take breaks and to avoid feeling guilty about taking time for yourself. Get up and move around. Don't just sit at your desk all day. Get up and move around every 20-30 minutes to avoid getting stiff and tired. You can take a walk, stretch, or do some light exercises.

In my experience, a human can not truly work for a full straight 8 hours and be productive. Be it brain breaks every 45 minutes, small breaks throughout the day or just turn away from the screen, it does help. Tools are there to help us. If we utilize them correctly, it makes a difference

One thing I have found helpful to dodge burnout, is to make sure to take regular breaks: Throughout your workday, factor in brief pauses to recharge. Even short moments away from work can bolster productivity and stave off burnout.

CRM projects can be taxing at times especially fresh implementations. I would suggest you to plan longer breaks (2-3) days of PTO clubbed with a long weekend or public holiday every quarter to refuel. Plan them in advance , announce them to everyone and have a someone as a back up identified.

In my CRM career, I prioritize work-life balance through practical steps. Using tools like Trello, I organize tasks efficiently, ensuring a clear focus. Setting a rule to avoid work emails after a certain hour preserves personal time. Incorporating short breaks and the Pomodoro technique prevents burnout. Regular virtual fitness classes add a healthy routine to my week. Communication is pivotal; transparent discussions with the team about expectations foster a supportive culture. These practices, combining effective time management, personal boundaries, and open communication, have enabled me to sustain a fulfilling work-life balance in my CRM career.

Having support has been a huge factor in achieving work-life balance for me. We use HubSpot as a CRM, and it's evolving every day. It's impossible to keep track of all the new features while doing your day-to-day tasks. -- This is where LinkedIn and the Sprocketeer community come in handy to show use cases of the updates. It's also hard to know everything as an admin, such as being an expert in coding, API connections, etc. -- That's when I turn to our technology team and seek their help. Every admin has a different way of approaching solutions. -- Brainstorming with our lead, colleagues, and getting best practice guidance from our playbooks team is very beneficial. Here's where I can rely on my team.

Finding a community of others in similar roles is critical. Being able to bounce ideas off of knowledgeable people and learn different ways to solve problems really helps you grow your skills and keep you sane. Also, mentoring/teaching others is a great way to retain knowledge and boost confidence. Ultimately, having a pool of people in similar roles with varying backgrounds to talk to will save you time and frustration (in the long-run), leading to a better work-life balance.

What is a CRM career without support? It's bleak, exhausting and may make you want to quit. CRM careers can enrich us if approached strategically. One way to do this is to always seek support. People are always willing to help if you ask. You may be surprised at how much work-life balance you can strike if you seek and accept support regularly. Support has many faces. Could be delegating tasks, sharing tasks, carrying along a colleague who is better at a particular skill for a customer visit, training your customers to always keep their inventory in check to avoid last minute rushes and so much more. The key is to never think that you are alone in any of it.

Find a mentor who can show you how to source, engage and close the deal with a customer and then how to develop the relationship with the client. Team talks twice a week also keeps you aligned and when the work load is heavy encourage assistance from your team. Ultimately you are all in the same "boat". Create that unity and drive together.

Everyone needs to understand the importance of "Reaching Out". Reaching out helps get things faster, reaching out could not just be related to work, but maybe for a breather and a conversation completely unrelated to your work. Talking to people gives you perspective and a lot of times helps you find an answer to a problem without really discussing the problem. Being ok with reaching out to people is a skill once built turns out to be powerful.

Agree 100%. Some folks would see it as an inconvenience, but when I go to hockey practice and step on the ice with my two daughters and work with them and their teams, it's a much needed "me time" even though I'm working on team skills and development. For those 60+ minutes while the skates are on, it's all about them and my life outside of work.

For me, it has never been about the quantity of time I spend outside of work, but rather the quality. For example, if I am to go to dinner with my family - I set boundaries and turn off my work phone, and limit any interruptions. Those 2 hours are far more valuable than an entire night where I am not fully present.

Ensuring a harmonious equilibrium between my professional responsibilities in CRM and my personal life was?of utmost importance. I establish well-defined work hours, prioritize projects, and delegate well in order to effectively manage my burden. Taking regular pauses throughout the day aided in rejuvenating. Regular assessments ensured that I was adjusting to changing circumstances. Apart from professional responsibilities, personal aspirations such as engaging in hobbies and dedicating time to loved ones contributed to a sense of satisfaction. Although attaining a flawless equilibrium is a continuous endeavor, these tactics have played a significant role in developing a seamless fusion of my work and personal life.

Monthly environmental scans don't need to be tedious. SWOT analysis with CRM tools enables you to see the market, the competition and adjust strategies accordingly to meet your CRM targets. It is a tug of war in finding a balance in the daily time work consumption and personal time, just make sure you do take time for a life outside of the business.

Always keep asking for updated timelines on things and when work is required, so that you are not caught short. Not setting up the expectation that you will be available outside of work hours (unless in emergencies). Use a tool in the workplace that makes your workload visible such as Wrike or Trello, so that you team and managers can see what is on your plate, and coming up.

Additionally, these are a few factors that you can also consider: 1).Learn to Say No 2).Take Breaks 3).Set Realistic Goals 4).Invest in Self-Care Might this will help you in being more focused on your workday and maintain that calm and peace in your life.

Time management, planning your day, prioritizing work, setting high and achievable targets and most important is taking regular breaks are the important elements for managing work life balance. In my opinion life balance is a perceived state, only you know when your life is or isn't balanced. Focusing on health and spending time with family/friends while doing our job shouldn't be ignored. Personal and professional lifes, both are correlated and a person cannot be happy if there's any issue at workplace or personal front.??

I have found that the key to managing what is outside my control is to better manage what is inside my control. This works best when I end the day by planning out the next day. It gives a fast, productive start to the day, and then when things inevitably occur that are unplanned, there is more room in the day to deal with them. I also make sure to complete something at the end of the day to have that sense of closure. Lacking a sense of closure at the end of the day is what causes those nagging urges to think about the past day and worry about the next. This makes the downtime more productive, which in turn makes the workday more productive. Just my 2 cents, so if you find more value than that, you're already ahead for the day.

One thing I've found helpful is empowering my clients to be somewhat self managed. Training and equipping them has proven to be a huge support built over the years.

Additionally, Say no when it counts. Be truthful with your team and customers to always be on the same page Do not over promise. Always underpromise to leave room for over delivery. Engage your customers on other topics outside of your business relationship. It helps them see you as truly invested in them, instead of just the money you will gain from them.